Vegetarian Living: February issue

By February, after seemingly interminable winter months and short, grey days, we need a reminder that spring is tantalisingly close. This time of year is often known as the hunger gap because the variety and availability of seasonal produce is so limited, but with a flash of deep green kale on a potato pizza, a bright burst of purple beetroot burgers and the warming orange of sweet potato soup flecked with pomegranate jewels, we've proved that February's food can still be fresh and vibrant.While Rachel Demuth reveals the secret storecupboard ingredients that will add a much-needed zing to your late-winter cooking, Liz Martin converts gastro pub favourites into easy midweek meals, and to help you keep your healthy new year resolutions on track, we're offering lighter dishes that are still satisfying for those with hearty appetites and some deliciously slimming soups, the ideal switch for sandwiches at lunchtime.Elsewhere we catch up with keen traveller, food writer and former MasterChef contestant Jackie Kearney and discover her Asian-inspired tofu dishes to try at home . Jackie's recipes evoke the sights and smells of the bustling markets and street food vendors in cities like Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur, and her dishes may even stir your own wanderlust – perhaps February is the perfect month to book your next escape?

Inside this issue...

Áine Carlin shows just how easy and versatile vegan and raw food can be, with recipes from her new cookbook